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Pinterest Contest Rules

Have you ever hosted a Pin It to Win It contest? If you have, be aware that there are new Pinterest Contest Rules! What changes have they made and why? Today we will examine the new guidelines that Pinterest has put into place…specifically what you can and cannot do. So go grab a cup of coffe and settle in for this important update from Pinterest.

What is a Pin It To Win It contest?

A Pin It To Win It contest is a promotion that runs on Pinterest. It differs from other types of promotions on the web because it is completely graphics based. While each promotion is as unique as a fingerprint, the basic concept is the same. Create a graphic that contains a prize, a call to action, rules of engagement, etc. Place said graphic onto your brand’s Pinterest account or website. Then you ask your audience to then comment, pin or repin the image. Very simple to do and companies that took advantage of this ability early on has lots of success.

Here are a couple of examples of Pin It To Win It contests:

What are the new Pinterest contest rules?

If you have run this type of contest before…fantastic! It was completely ok to do so…and I hope you had great success. However, Pinterest has made some changes that no longer make this type of contest possible for users to run. Below are the new do’s and don’t when it comes to Pinterest marketing…straight from Pinterest’s Logo and Brand Guidelines page. Be sure to visit this page to get the whole picture.

Pinterest asks users to keep the following guidelines in mind when promoting:

Here’s what you CAN DO:

Remember that Pinterest is all about people discovering things that inspire them. Reward quality pinning over quantity.

Make it easy to get involved with clear and simple instructions.

Read our anti-spam measures to keep your contest fun and useful.

Check out our branding guidelines if you’re going to reference Pinterest in any way.

Here’s what you CAN’T DO:

Suggest that Pinterest sponsors or endorses you or the contest.

Require people to pin from a selection—let them pin their own stuff.

Make people pin or repin your contest rules. This is a biggie.

Run a sweepstakes where each pin, repin, board, like or follow represents an entry.

Encourage spammy behavior, such as asking participants to comment.

Ask pinners to vote with pins, repins, boards, or likes.

Overdo it: contests can get old fast.

Require a minimum number of pins. One is plenty.

Why has Pinterest implemented these new rules?

When I think of all the possible reasons Pinterest could possibly have for imposing guidelines, what I envision is this: Take the State of New York, for example, and think about all the cars that are driven here. Then, tell everyone that all the driving laws in have been permanently suspended…ie…there are no rules for driving. Now…what will happen is you will have individuals who will continue to operate their vehicles with thought and respect….and then you will have people who think that, since they can do whatever they want…they will. The result would be a huge catastrophe. The consequences? You bet…those driving laws would go right back into effect.

I believe that while most individuals have run very thoughtful and honest contests, there are those out there who would just be considered spam. The more spammers that show up…well…the consequences are rules.

Does this mean we can no longer run promotions on Pinterest? Nope. It means that we need to be very thoughtful about the types of contests we run and, most importantly, we follow Pinterest’s new guidelines.

Have you run a Pinterest contest before? What changes can you make to meet the new contest guidelines. Share your thoughts below.